A God in Peril
by MuseGoddess
Summary: Mia Walters is the stepdaughter of New York Times editor John Walters. One day at her elite private school, her BFF Nico di Angelo fights an empousa. Before she knows it, she is a camper at the uberexclusive Camp HalfBlood.  First Fancfic.  Read!
1. Ch 1: A Very Strange Business Meeting

**This is my first FanFic! Basically this is a story about a girl who becomes BFF with our fave son of Hades, Nico di Angelo, who is doing a seeker job. This chapter is sort of a prologue (the main character's dream). Enjoy and comment! Chapter Two preview included!**

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><p>Chapter One: A Very Strange Business Meeting<p>

When I opened my eyes, I was in a huge stone cavern. It stretched for miles in all directions. Around me, poplar trees shivered. The ground was all cold dry soil. A river rushed somewhere.

I felt my legs moving, walking. As I got closer to the sound of the river, I smelled hot milk…with honey? Even if I didn't know much about my surroundings (basically none at all) I knew this wasn't a place to keep a warm comforting drink like that.

I pushed through the last of the poplar trees and scrambled up a small rise. The edge fell away to a gray sand beach, which rolled up to the side of a milky white river.

The hot-milk-and-honey smell was overpowering. I jumped down, sending a spray of gray sand flying, and was walking to the edge of the river when I heard voices. Quickly I threw myself behind a sand dune and listened.

Peeking my head out carefully, I saw a skeleton. I hadn't noticed it till now, but I had the feeling that it had been there the whole time. Dressed in the ripped remains of a black tunic-like clothing (an Ancient Greek chiton) and bleached bones clacking, it was quite a sight.

"Clack-he-is-clack-so-clack-ing-LATE!" the skeleton huffed. It glanced around and don to its wrist like checking an invisible watch. What was it waiting for?

Sighing impatiently, the skeleton yelled, "Ares!"

In response to his call, a boar burst from the sand. The beast was covered in bright red shaggy fur, and from the sand to its withers was about three feet. Ivory tusks extended from its muzzle, approximately a yard and a half long. I wondered what you'd have to do to turn it into pork chops.

It pawed the ground, tossed its large head, and snorted.

"Yeah, mock me. But I've got news, and you'll like it," the skeleton said, but it wasn't a skeleton anymore. A man stood beside the boar. A man with long oily dark hair framing an olive-pale, malicious face and glinting dark eyes surveying its companion. A man wearing a black pinstripe suit and shiny, fancy shoes.

"Can you transform?" asked the man. "Speaking stupidus piggus gives me a headache."

"Chill, Hades," the pig said. It shimmered into a muscled man wearing a tight red shirt, a black leather jacket, deep blue jeans, and motorcycle boots. Stubble covered the lower half of his scarred, tanned face. Half-melted wraparound shades hid his eyes and a black leather scabbard hung on his right hip.

"He has walked into the trap," Hades announced proudly.

Trying to appear disinterested, Ares unsheathed a huge double-handed sword and began sharpening it. "What did you use as bait?"

Hades' mouth curled into a sneer. "That mortal girl-Dare, the Oracle. Nico has been a huge help."

"Your son, the di Angelo boy?"

"Yes. Naturally, though, the boy has no memory of his treachery. The Lethe comes in handy. And your mission?"

"I convinced Aphrodite and Eros to shoot the blond and your son with arrows. Eros will do it at camp. Nico is a seeker at a private school."

As I crouched there, listening, I tried to remember where I had heard the name Nico di Angelo. All this stuff about mortals, the Oracle, what the heck was that? And something about Aphrodite and arrows?

"Let us be off. His powers have been greatly weakened. We must take him now and return Dare to those pesky half-bloods." Hades insisted.

"Perfect. Now let us leave." Hades said.

"Wait. Before we go," Ares interrupted, "tell me-why did you have me ask Aphrodite to tell Eros to shoot Annabeth and Nico di Angelo with arrows?"

Hades grinned, and this might sound really corny, but he really looked like a cat who ate a canary.

"Simple. Jackson is dating-what's her name?-Annabeth"-Ares' eyes widened in surprise-"and we want poor little Perseus to be preoccupied with his love life, not investigating why he is absent. Jackson seems to be involved with every scheme the half-bloods discover."

"But why can't we just kill him?" Ares whined. "It would be so much more easy and highly satisfying."

"I know, Ares, but if we killed him, Poseidon would turn against us. They would investigate us. All of Camp Half-Blood will be searching for his killer."

"Oh. Okay. I knew that. One more thing-"

"Wait," Hades said, and my chest clenched. "Someone is here, listening."

"Huh? You're hallucinating."

"Gods don't hallucinate, you idiot! And I'm surprised you know a four-syllable word anyway. There! Behind that sand dune!"

"The grayish-sandy one?" Ares questioned.

"They're all gray sand! Oh, why did I choose you as my partner?" Hades snapped his fingers, and I felt a wave ripple out. The dune crumbled and I backed away slowly, back toward the rise.

"It's just a girl. Not Jackson," said Ares, squinting.

"Still." Hades insisted. "She's a half-blood. Maybe age twelve, maybe even thirteen. Jackson's promise shall bring her to camp. The girl must not remember." The black-suited figure waved a hand, and a column of white Lethe water bubbled up and shot toward me. I scrambled back, screaming. I knew somehow that the water must not touch me. The world flickered.

Before I blacked out, I caught a glimpse of a glimmer of blue water—protecting me?

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><p><strong>Ok, here it is! Please comment. Chapter Two preview below.<strong>

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><p>Chapter Two: Family History<p>

I sat up in bed, choking on my scream. The white water and the trees stretching up to a rocky cavern ceiling dissipated.

I swung my head about frantically, but there was nothing to see. I was in my room. Teal walls with white-painted swirls and a huge picture window and seat. White curtains spread across the window, turning the dawn light milky—like the Lethe.

I had to forget about that. Swinging my legs out under the black-and-blue comforter, I rubbed my eyes. Seconds later I almost had a heart attack when my IPod alarm blared, playing the intro of a popular song.

I hit the OFF button wearily and walked to my walk-in closet. I chose a pale green-and-silver tunic with green cap sleeves, dark-wash skinny jeans, and glittery gray ballet flats with cute red bows.

I dressed mechanically, still analyzing every detail of my dream. So preoccupied was I, that when I walked out the door, I didn't hear my phone ring. I didn't see the picture of the olive-skinned, dark-haired boy that popped up on the display, didn't notice the Caller ID reading the name of my best friend for the past year, NICO DI ANGELO.


	2. Ch 2: Family History

**Chapter Two everyone! comment pls. No Ch. 3 preview because I'm uploading them at almost exactly the same time. Read and Comment!**

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><p>Chapter Two: Family History<p>

I sat up in bed, choking on my scream. The white water and the trees stretching up to a rocky cavern ceiling dissipated.

I swung my head about frantically, but there was nothing to see. I was in my room. Teal walls with white-painted swirls and a huge picture window and seat. White curtains spread across the window, turning the dawn light milky—like the Lethe.

I had to forget about that. Swinging my legs out under the black-and-blue comforter, I rubbed my eyes. Seconds later I almost had a heart attack when my iPod alarm blared, playing the intro of a popular song.

I hit the OFF button wearily and walked to my walk-in closet. I chose a pale green-and-silver tunic with green cap sleeves, dark-wash skinny jeans, and glittery gray ballet flats with cute red bows. I dressed mechanically, still analyzing every detail of my dream. So preoccupied was I, that when I walked out the door, I didn't hear  
>my phone ring. I didn't see the picture of the olive-skinned, dark-haired boy that popped up on the display, didn't notice the Caller IDreading the name of my best friend for the past year, NICO DI ANGELO.<p>

"Hi, Mom," I called out as I slumped down in my chair. The penthouse window offered a spectacular view of Central Park, but I didn't feel like cooing at the lady below in an expensive white running suit walking a gorgeous black Labrador.

"Morning, sweetie," my mother said as she took a plate off steaming apple pancakes off the island and settled it in front of me. We had a cook—basically a team of cooks—but my mom liked making  
>Bisquick-apple-cinnamon-pancakes once in a while. My mom wore a red scoop-neck puff-sleeve shirt paired with<br>black dress pants. Her outfit went perfectly with her fair skin. Her auburn hair, darker than my coppery shade, was pulled up in a ponytail. In her pearl-diamond earrings, she looked every inch the  
>sophisticated wife of a New York City penthouse-overlooking-Central-Park owner.<p>

"What's the matter?" she asked me concernedly, brown eyes searching my face.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream."

Her face clouded. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she brightened and handed me a glass of milk. "It's just a dream," she said with a forced smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, half for the milk and half for her reassuring words. I dug into my pancakes, more delicious and home-ish than anything the cooking staff could make.

As I started on my third pancake, my stepdad walked in. He toted a suit similar to the one Hades wore in my dream. "I've got a copy of the New York Times!"

I laughed. It was a standing joke amongst my family. A little family history here.

You see, my stepdad is the editor-in-chief of the Times. He started out—as most do—as a journalist's assistant and grabbed any promotion that came his way. Finally, after the elderly Mary Wilkinson, former head editor, decided to live the "wild life" and quit, he was installed as uber-editor.

I'd never known my real dad. I looked like my mom in every way except my dad's eyes, green-blue like the ocean, in the middle of my face. My real dad had disappeared on a sailing trip off the Gulf of Mexico. I used to imagine my dad stranded on an island, boat broken, eating coconuts and fixing his wrecked ship. I laughed silently at the memory. Over the years, I'd learned to accept my dad was most likely dead. My mom always denied it though. He's not dead, she'd say, only missing. But for some reason, now that she was the wife of the editor of the most-read newspaper in America, she never sent any search parties to find him, somewhere in the  
>Bermuda Triangle.<p>

"Of course you do, Dad," I smiled weakly and told him the response to our longstanding joke. "You're the editor."

"You bet I am!" he smiled, and pulled me into a hug. "Have a good day at school."

"Of course, Dad," I replied and went back to my pancakes.

Fifteen minutes later, I put down my fork and went up to my bathroom to brush my teeth. I grabbed my messenger bag and packed my books, homework, and BlackBerry, not noticing the ONE MISSED CALL  
>on the screen. I said bye to my mom and got into the limo leaving for school.<p>

The black car deposited me on the wide, polished front walk of Ivyhart Prep. I pushed through the big oak front doors, enjoying the air conditioner. Even mornings in June burned.

As I started emptying my books into my locker, a boy veered out of the flow of students entering the school and walked toward me. I immediately pulled out some cherry vanilla lip gloss and smoothed it on, stuffing the tube in my pocket as he approached.

"Hey, Mia," the boy said, brushing his dark brown hair out of his equally brown, intense eyes. He wore a black windbreaker, ripped black jeans, and black Converse. He shouldered a black skull backpack.

"Hi, Nico," I replied.

"Why didn't you answer my call this morning?" he questioned.

"You called me?" I dug out my sparkly blue BlackBerry and indeed saw ONE MISSED CALL in glowing black lettering.

"Oh, sorry…just…preoccupied." I said.

"Hmmm." Nico peered at me. "What happened?"

"Oh…uh, had a bad dream."

"What happened in it?"

"Uh, nothing," I said. Why was he so interested? "Two guys named Hades and Ares were chatting. Nothing serious."

Nico's face paled. For a second I remembered his name popping up in my dream, but pushed it out of my head. Simply a coincidence.

"Mia," he began, "what exactly—"

Just on time, the bell rang. "Homeroom!" I blurted, then grabbed my English book and hurried away.

I grabbed a bowl of mac and cheese, Sprite, an apple, and a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and loaded onto my tray. I walked over to where Nico was sitting.

"Had no idea…got to get to camp…monsters..." Nico muttered, lost in thought.

"Had no idea what?" I asked politely, peeling back the dewy clear plastic mac and cheese cover and popping open my Sprite.

"Huh? Uh…what do you mean?" Nico's head jerked up.

"You were talking about camp and monsters," I prompted.

"Oh…I was?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, the camp…I go to it in the summer…" Nico fumbled.

"I kind of figured that out already, for some reason," I commented dryly, opening my Doritos.

"Well, um, yeah," he stammered, blushing.

"Oh look, it's Freako di Angelo and his girlfriend," a drawling voice I knew came from two glossed lips.

Leanna Marshall. Her dad was Andy Marshall, the producer. She loved terrifying people younger than she and though she was only a junior, she hung out with the seniors a bunch.

She flipped her highlighted blond hair and looked down at us like we were bugs she wanted to flick off. Her Michael Kors white-coffee summer top and Stella McCartney skinny jeans were hot off the summer runway.

Behind her trotted up Swift Michaelson, a supposed-to-be senior who'd gotten held back, and Keisha Dylans, another junior. They all had flawless, highlighted hair (Swift's hair was red, Keisha's brown) and impeccable summery tops that went perfectly with their wedge heels and platform sandals.

"I'm not his girlfriend," I clumsily tried to explain. "I'm a girl—who just happens to be his friend."

This was so not going well. My cheeks flamed superembarrasingly and I cringed as Leanna opened her mouth,  
>obviously to deliver some crushing line about my clothes, hair, grades (all C's and D's), whatever.<p>

Then Keisha stepped forward. Nico's eyes narrowed and he stiffened. "Not here, empousa," he snarled.

"What did you just call her?" I asked.

In answer to Nico's demand, Keisha smiled sweetly, said, "Why not?" and lunged.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think! -MuseGoddess<strong>


	3. Ch 3: I Find Out Who I Am

**In this chapter Nico explains: who she really is and why he's there. Chap. 4 preview included!**

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><p>Ch. 3: I Find Out Who i Am<p>

"Mia! Get back!" Nico shoved me hard, spilling me into another table. Surprised students surged backward as Mashed Potato Surprise splattered them. I blinked and saw Nico dive the other way as Keisha slammed into our table. My best friend got up and tipped the table over, sending Keisha sprawling. But she got up and tutted. "Where are your manners, young man?" she observed contemptuously. "Pushing your girlfriend is a sure way to end a relationship."

Nico ignored the red blush creeping up his pale cheeks and pulled something from his pocket. A word from him and it morphed into a black sword. A grinning obsidian skull adorned the hilt. For a second, Keisha's eyes widened. "Ephialtes," she

breathed in horror. "Made of Stygian iron."

"That's right," he said, and tried to stab her. She rolled away and hissed. Her hair became fiery flames. A weird clopping sound reached my ears as she advanced on Nico. It was her feet. They had changed from super-expensive Louboutin heels to a shaggy donkey's leg and a gleaming bronze robot-like prosthetic. Red eyes and gleaming white fangs and skin completed the vampire look. I did my best not to scream.

Nico ran over to the wall, pushing through laughing students. He hit the fire alarm, and kids filed out. He turned to Keisha in the now empty cafeteria.

"You don't need that," she pouted. "Maybe a kiss? Put that sword away." She held out her arms.

"Nico—" I started, but he had already cast away his sword. It skidded to a stop in front of me. He tottered over to her. I could see her licking her lips.

Fear lent strength. I grabbed the sword, shouted, "Hey!" and flung it in Keisha's direction. She turned, and by probably pure luck, it hit her chest. Her eyes faded to a pale gray and she collapsed into a pile of dust.

I heard a scream. Behind me, Leanna Marshall turned on her heel and ran, for sure to tell Principal McCoy what had happened.

Nico rubbed his eyes. "What…happened?" he asked, seeing me holding Ephialtes. I filled him in, not sure if I was dreaming.

"Oh, gods," he said. "We have to go."

I stumbled confusedly after Nico out the emergency fire exit. My head whirled.

"Mia!" Nico called. "Hurry!"

I sped up. We whipped around corners, darted through alleys, pushed through crowds and went in and out of shops. Nico stayed behind me and constantly turned and looked over his shoulder. "Go, Mia," he urged whenever I faltered. "We mustn't stop."

Forty-five minutes later we stopped at a small pharmacy called Victor's Food and Drug. I pushed a sopping lock of hair out of my eyes. Nico didn't protest as I walked up to the counter and bought a Gatorade, which I drank from and offered to him. He was breathing hard, too, and he had finally taken off his windbreaker.

"Okay," he said, after he had downed practically the whole thing. "We should—"

"No," I interrupted. "Not until you tell me exactly why we are running."

He looked away. "Because you killed Keisha."

"I didn't kill her on purpose!"

"Oh, so you didn't want the sword to hit her and the Force moved your hands?" he countered.

"Well, I did want to stop her, but it was only because she was going to kill you!"

"She was?"

I clenched my teeth. "Nico, we both know that she was a horrid vampire monster and that you would've died if I hadn't saved you. You should thank me. And you can do that by telling me exactly what happened back there. Like why you have a sword. Isn't that illegal?"

Nico sighed and he ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't tell you," he finally admitted. "I mean, I can, but that would endanger you even more."

"Wow, that's specific. I'm going."

"Fine," Nico sighed again, "I'll tell you. But you have to let me walk you home."

Normally I would never let that happen because too many people think I have a crush on him (which I do, but that's not the point).

"Sure. Just tell me why you murdered Keisha."

"Technically, you killed her, not me. Anyway," Nico continued, "we had to. She was going to kill me. Why? She's a monster."

"A monster to seventh graders," I snorted.

"No, Mia, not that kind of monster. An empousa, an Ancient Greek demon. The creatures from which the legend of vampires originated."

"What? That's crazy," I blurted.

"Oh, is it? Then why did her hair burst into flame and her legs get all animal-C3PO? I know you saw that."

"I-I-I," I stammered, "I don't know."

"It's because she is an empousa. And if Greek monsters are real, that means Greek gods are real. Ares, Zeus, Hades—" Nico's voice quavered a bit but it was gone as he went on "—Poseidon, Athena, they're all real."

I sat down on an upturned blue plastic bucket. This new information was turning my world upside down. Greek gods? Monsters? If I hadn't seen Keisha transform I would have given Nico directions to the New York City Asylum. I was still tempted to do that.

"Give me proof." I insisted. "Besides Keisha."

"Okay." Nico led me outside, to an abandoned alley. He looked carefully down the street then rejoined me in the dank. "I believe you've met Ephialtes before," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out the same emblem. It turned into the black-iron sword

I'd used to destroy Keisha.

"Oh, that's…" I trailed off.

"Cool? Scary? Unnatural? This is Stygian iron. It can destroy monsters in a pinch, and unlike celestial bronze it'll harm mortals— those with no godly blood in them." Nico took a deep breath. "The mortal-godlings, they're called demigods. Half-human, half-god. I

am one. You are too."

"Um…" What exactly do you say when you have just received news that you are the child of a supreme heavenly being?

"There's a camp, a refuge for us," Nico continued, "from the monsters that continually hunt us. There we learn to fight. To survive."

"Who's my parent then?" I demanded. This would finally answer all the questions I'd had about my missing dad.

"I-I don't know," Nico informed. "At camp they can claim you."

"Whose are you, then?" I asked.

"Uh, we really should get home. Your home," he said, dodging the question. "We've got to let your mom know you know about your

true self so she can allow you to come to camp with me."

We took a taxi back to my penthouse. I was silent the entire way, turning over all Nico had explained in my mind. It wasn't realistic, yeah. But it fit.

I handed over some cash and we climbed out. We went into the well-kept lobby. White-and-gold marble was everywhere. Cushy red chairs were grouped around small empty fireplaces. It was

summer, after all.

We crossed over to the elevators. I pressed level 48 and the button lit up.

When we reached the penthouse floor, I walked over to our front door and fished out my key, turning it in the lock. The house was quiet.

"Mom?" I called. "Mom? I'm home."

No answer. I was dimly aware of Nico stepping inside behind me. I ran into the kitchen, dropping my backpack and gasping at

what I saw.

My mom. On the ground, lying on her back, apparently unconscious. The huge picture window had shattered, leaving glass shards littering the grounds like fallen stars. I could hear NYC's mid-afternoon din through the hole—cars honking, voices shouting, walking feet.

"Mom!" I ran over, slipping a little on the glass, and knelt by her side. A thin cut traced across her forehead, sticky and red. Her hair was soaked with blood.

"MOM!" I half-sobbed, shaking her gently.

"Mia! Nico! What in the world—"

My stepfather stood behind Nico, gaping at the damage. He pushed past my best friend, dropping his briefcase, and knelt beside me. He lifted his wife up and told me to call 911.

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><p><strong>So, do you like it? Review, please, and don't miss the rest of chapter 4.<strong>

**-MuseGoddess**

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><p>Ch. 4: Peleus and I Have A Bad Start<p>

Forty-eight hours later, we were in a taxicab heading for Camp Half-Blood, Nico sitting quietly at my side. I mulled over what had happened in the last two days.

After I'd called the police and the paramedics, they pulled up in front of our penthouse and laid my mom on a stretcher. I accompanied my mom to the hospital, while my dad drove Nico. We waited forever. Finally, we were told that my mom wasn't hurt, that she just had a moderate concussion, a few scratches and a couple big bruises. She had broken out of unconsciousness and we were allowed to see her.

"It came for me," my mom whispered.


	4. Ch 4: Peleus and I Have A Bad Start

Chapter Four: Peleus and I Have a Bad Start

We took a taxi back to my penthouse. I was silent the entire way, turning over all Nico had explained in my mind. It wasn't realistic, yeah. But it fit.

I handed over some cash and we climbed out. We went into the well-kept lobby. White-and-gold marble was everywhere. Cushy red chairs were grouped around small empty fireplaces. It was summer, after all.

We crossed over to the elevators. I pressed level 48 and the button lit up.

I walked over to our front door and fished out my key, turning it in the lock. The house was quiet.

"Mom?" I called. "Mom? I'm home."

No answer. I was dimly aware of Nico stepping inside behind me. I ran into the kitchen, dropping my backpack and gasping at what I saw.

My mom. On the ground, lying on her back, apparently unconscious. The huge picture window had shattered, leaving glass shards littering the grounds like fallen stars. I could hear NYC's mid-afternoon din through the hole—cars honking, voices shouting, walking feet.

"Mom!" I ran over, slipping a little on the glass, and knelt by her side. A thin cut traced across her forehead, sticky and red. Her hair was soaked with blood.

"MOM!" I half-sobbed, shaking her gently.

"Mia! Nico! What in the world—"

My stepfather stood behind Nico, gaping at the damage. He pushed past my best friend, dropping his briefcase, and knelt beside me. He lifted her up and told me to call 911.

Forty-eight hours later, we were in a taxicab heading for Camp Half-Blood, Nico sitting quietly at my side. I mulled over what had happened in the last two days.

After I'd called the police and the paramedics, they pulled up in front of our penthouse and laid my mom on a stretcher. I accompanied my mom to the hospital, while my dad drove Nico. We waited forever. Finally, we were told that my mom wasn't hurt, that she just had a moderate concussion, a few scratches and a couple big bruises. She had broken out of unconsciousness and we were allowed to see her.

"It came for me," my mom whispered when my dad excused himself to take a call. Nico and I had told her all about what I discovered. Oddly, she seemed like she already knew about all this Greek-gods-are-real phenomenon.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"A woman all dressed in red and black. She had the loudest scream ever. When she shouted, I…everything blacked out. Her voice shattered the big glass. It was so…so mind-breaking."

I glanced surreptiously at Nico. "Do you know what she's talking about? Maybe a kind of demon?"

His face was grim. "Unfortunately. Alala is a minor goddess, the Greek personification of the war cry. She's also one of Ares (god of war)'s attendants. Technically she's the daughter of Polemos, one of those sub-minor gods. You're lucky you didn't go deaf, Mrs. Walters."

"I still feel like it, though," she replied, gingerly touching one of her ears.

"You're okay, now, Mom," I said, and hugged her.

She fixed me with a stare. "You must go to this camp, Mia. It's time you learned how to survive. Y-y-your dad…" I didn't need for her to tell me she was talking about my real dad "…he would have wanted…"

"What would I have wanted?" My stepdad walked in, shoving his iPhone into his suit pocket.

I tried to come up with something to say. Obviously he didn't know about the secret world of demigods. Nico was working his jaw but nothing came out. In the end, it was my mom who saved us.

"For Mia to go to a camp. With Nico," she told him. "It will be very educational, and Mia would love to go. Right, darling?"

"Um, yeah! I'd just love to!" I stammered.

"Well…if it's okay with you and your mother…I couldn't say no!" He forced a smile. "When do you leave?"

"The day after tomorrow is the, er, start of camp," Nico volunteered.

"I'll have my driver drop you off," he told us.

Nico was shaking his head hard behind my dad's back. Clearly, he thought it would be horrible if my dad knew where we were going. "Um, really Dad, thanks, but we can take a taxi."

"OK." He clearly wasn't okay with that.

"Really, Dad, we'll be fine." I reassured him, but I wasn't sure I'd want to skip out on a month long trip around the Caribbean for this.

The taxicab pulled to an abrupt stop. I handed the dubious driver forty bucks and we stepped out, pulling our bags out of the car. Nico ended up lugging two of mine, because unlike him I had packed four suitcases and a handcarry, a wealth of clothes compared to his one black travel bag.

"What…do you…pack…in…here?" he wheezed, only half-teasingly. "Forty-tons of tank tops and what do you call them—espadrilles?"

I heaved my stuff up to the crest of the hill behind Nico. He had dropped the stuff he was carrying and was hurrying toward a copper-colored dragon, snoozing in the hot sun (sweat was already gathering on my forehead). I dropped my bags and surged backward, letting out a half scream.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" The dragon blinked open its eyes.

"Mia, calm down," he reassured me. "Peleus guards the Golden Fleece." he explained, stopping what he was doing (scratching the dragon's chin) momentarily. The dragon grunted.

"Okay, here," he grumbled, returning to his task. Meanwhile, I was walking forward to the glittering mass of gold sheepskin dangling from the lowest bough of a huge pine tree. Peleus glanced up, alert as I stretched out my arm to touch it. I immediately backed away.

"It's okay, Peely," Nico said. "She's a friend." The dragon yawned and closed its eyes.

"'bye, Peely," Nico waved as he started pulling the assigned bags down the hill. I started after him, but kept on glancing behind me. For some reason, I wasn't about to let a dragon be unattended at my back.


	5. Ch 5: A Camp For Crazies

**Mia meets Mr. D and Chiron. And, our fave couple, Percabeth!**

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><p>Chapter Five: A Camp for Crazies<p>

Nico led me to a huge three-story house, painted blue. He motioned for me to drop my bags and we stepped onto the white wraparound deck. As we rounded the corner, I saw two men sitting in cushioned lawn chairs, a small table between them. An electric fan hummed quietly.

They were playing a card game—pinochle, I thought. One wore a leopard print running suit, purple track shoes, and held a can of Diet Coke. Curly black hair covered his head and his black eyes were focused intently on his cards. The other had a golden laurel wreath tilted over his wavy brown hair. His blanket-covered legs ended in a wheelchair. Hazel eyes flicked to us. "A moment, Nico," the brown-haired guy said.

"Yes, Norton, give us a moment. I am very close to beating Chiron." The black-haired guy snorted.

"It's Nico," Nico said, his tone clearly betraying that he detested the man. "And by the way, Mr. D, my money's on Chiron. He's the one wearing the laurel."

"Pah! I let him win. I wasn't trying." Mr. D sneered.

Nico turned to Mr. D's opponent. "Chiron, I have a new camper!"

"Oh?" Chiron put down his cards. "Nice to meet you…"

"Mia," I informed him. "Mia Walters."

"Nice to meet you, Mia," Chiron greeted me politely. The other guy, Mr. D or whatever wasn't nearly as nice. "Just like you, centaur," he muttered. "Quitting just as I'm about to win."

Chiron sighed. "Mia, this is Mr. D, our camp director. I am Chiron, the activities director and a—"

"—centaur," I breathed. "You're the centaur Chiron, the teacher of Asclepius?"

"Of course," Chiron smiled.

"But-but how—"

"Never mind him, you don't know who I am," Mr. D interrupted. "Need a clue?"

"Mr. D…Mr. D…" What famous Greek god was I thinking of? God of…I thought…like, grapes or something…Then it clicked.

"Mr. D…as in…Dionysus?" I glanced at his leopard-print suit. Wasn't he also the god of leopards and dolphins? "Omigosh, you're the wine dude!"

Mr. D breathed deeply. "I swear, once again, to trap anyone who calls me the wine dude again in a bottle of Merlot! But as you are new, Mimi—"

"Mia," I interjected.

"—I shall graciously spare your life," the wine god announced.

"Oh! Oh…uh, thank you, um…Your Excellency." I stammered,

and did a half-curtsy, just because it seemed like the right thing to do.

Mr. D threw down his cards and snapped his fingers. A person with wavy orange hair hurried up. He wore an orange T-shirt reading CAMP HALF-BLOOD and carried a gold tray of peeled grapes. Mr. D, Chiron, and Nico didn't seem to notice the fact that he had furry brown legs and clopping hooves and small, ivory horns.

Mr. D took a grape, stood up, and left the deck in favor of the air-conditioned inside.

"Well," Chiron said, "I think it's time our guest took a tour of camp. Shall we?" He started rising up from his wheelchair. White fur stretched higher and higher until the wheelchair was empty except for a pair of fake legs covered with a blanket. I looked up. Chiron's torso, clad with a shirt reading NUMBER ONE HORSE INSTRUCTOR towered on white horse legs.

"Ahhhh," Chiron sighed, "that feels good. Nothing is better than a nice stretch." He galloped along the deck and down the painted white steps. Nico and I sprinted after him.

Chiron trotted past strawberry fields, where more of those furry- legged guys ("Satyrs," Nico whispered) were playing pipes to help the fruits grow. We visited the archery range, the stables (Chiron cringed a bit when we passed) an armory, and a chariot track where real gold, silver, and wooden chariots were wheeling around the path, all kinds of horses pulling at the reins.

Finally we reached a horseshoe of cabins. In the center there was a tall marble building that reminded me of the Parthenon. Beside it, there was another smaller building that looked like the first except pomegranate vines and flowers curled around the columns.

The cabin sitting on the other side of the huge, Parthenon-style building was long, low and built out of what looked like seabed rock. Shells and pieces of coral studded the gray walls.

Next to that was a horridly painted red cabin with barbed wire twining around the roof. A boar's head sneered from above the peeling red door.

Beside that cabin was a building that gleamed like molten gold. Rays of light seemed to emanate from it, so I couldn't study it too closely or my eyes would get burned out of my head.

The next cabin was made purely of metal. Smokestacks poked up from the top, making it look like a factory. The entrance looked like a bank-vault door, circular and with an opening mechanism in the middle.

The cabin after had chipping brown paint and looked like it had weathered a million snowstorms and two million hurricanes. A caduceus hung over the door.

The second-to-last cabin on the left had its roof and walls engulfed in grapevines. Before I could study any more of the very different cabins, Chiron said, "Nico, I leave you here. I must get ready for my archery class. I hope you enjoy it here, Mia." With that, he turned and galloped off.

"So—" I started to say, but Nico was already motioning me toward two teenagers talking in front of the long, low cabin. They both waved to Nico.

"Hi, Nic," one of them, a girl, greeted Nico. I guessed the teenagers were both juniors in high school. She had curly blond hair in a messy ponytail with a faint gray streak, intelligent gray eyes, and sported a Cali-tan, a camp T-shirt and shorts.

"Yo, Skully," the other guy, a boy, joked. He wore a camp T-shirt as well. His black hair flopped over his sea-green eyes. "Hey Percy, Annabeth," Nico answered. "This is Mia, Mia Walters. She's an undetermined half-blood. We met at the private

school where I was a seeker."

"Walters?" the girl Annabeth mused. "As in, John Walters of the New York Times?"

Talk about sharp. "Yeah, he's my stepfather." I told her.

"Cool. Nice to meet you. I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." Goddess of wisdom and battle, I remembered. I took a liking to her immediately. She seemed like a good friend.

Then I remembered the details of my dream. Simple. Jackson is dating—what's her name?—Annabeth, Hades had said. This had to be a coincidence.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six preview.<strong>

* * *

><p>Chapter Six: Inspection<p>

"Mia, I'd like you to meet Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." Nico said, gesturing to the black-haired boy.

"God of the sea," Percy said, and shook my hand.

Something clicked in my head from my dream. "Wait—Percy as in Perseus?" I blurted, yanking my hand away. Perseus? Jackson? Annabeth?

"Uh-huh," Percy nodded, and said suspiciously, "How did you know that?"


	6. Ch 6: An Unexpected Unbirthday Present

**Mia finally finds out her bloodline. Read and enjoy! Please comment. I've got like only four comments. I want to know how I'm doing!**

**-MuseGoddess**

* * *

><p>Chapter Six: An Unexpected Unbirthday Present<p>

"Mia, I'd like you to meet Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." Nico said, gesturing to the black-haired boy.

"God of the sea," Percy said, and shook my hand.

Something clicked in my head from my dream. "Wait—Percy as in Perseus?" I blurted. Perseus? Jackson? Annabeth?

"Uh-huh," Percy nodded, and said suspiciously, "How did you know that?"

"Um, well," I frantically thought of a reason, "isn't Percy a popular nickname for Perseus?"

"Oh. Okay." Percy relaxed.

I kept my face impassive but inside a flood of emotions raced through me. One was fear—gods were real, and I hadn't completely accepted that until now. The idea that supreme celestial beings reigned above kind of scared me.

Plus two other Olympian gods were plotting to capture someone and –who was it—the Oracle was bait. Nico and Annabeth and Percy were involved in some way too—I was sure they'd get hurt if the gods weren't caught.

I had to ask one more question. Just to be sure that I was really dealing with the three people in my dream.

"Are you two…" I glanced at both Percy and Annabeth "…dating?" I half-whispered.

"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed, and my heart sank. "How did you know?"

More improvising. I swallowed. "Uh—just the way you two were standing," I said, winging it casually.

"Pretty accurate observation," Annabeth smiled. "If your mom was the stepparent, we could have been sisters."

I grinned back but her response had only served to agitate me, despite her good intentions. I hadn't thought of that. If Athena or any female god wasn't my parent, then who was?

After a few minutes of chatting, Percy interrupted a lively story Nico was telling about a dancing, crazy, rabid squirrel.

"Nice meeting you, Mia, and you too, Nic, but we've got to do inspection. I just need to talk to him and we'll— "

"Seaweed Brain, I'm the one doing inspection," Annabeth grinned at Percy. "But we do need to go. Bye, Walters, you too, Nico."

"Wait, Wise Girl. Mia is not the only observant one here." Percy grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him aside, whispering in his ear.

"What're they doing?" I asked Annabeth.

She rolled her eyes. "Boy stuff. See you around?"

"You betcha," I told her.

"Awesome. SEAWEED BRAIN!"

"Coming, my queen," Percy bowed and said, "Shall we?" Annabeth rolled her

eyes but took his offered arm. I think she liked it.

Nico meanwhile was blushing superbly and doing his best not to look at me.

"Nic," I said, waving my hand before his face. "Hey."

He looked up at me and quickly looked down again.

"Um, Nico," I said, trying a causal approach, "What does inspection mean?"

He jerked his head up and took off quickly for a cabin, yelling, "C'mon, Mia! Oh gods, I forgot!"

That worked better than expected. I ran after him, no idea what he was up to, and nearly slammed into him as he skidded to a stop in front of Cabin Thirteen.

This cabin was all black obsidian. Green fire burned in torches flanking the door. Also flanking the door were two hideous skeletons holding swords. They looked me over and bowed to Nico, who told them that I was to pass without harm whenever I liked.

"I don't grant that to Percy," he told me. "He'll like draw on my face or something if I did. And also," he leaned closer, "the guards can't really fight. They're terrible at swordplay, but they do intimidate people so they stay away."

He led me inside. A messy bunk stood alone in the center, black sheets crumpled in a ball. Chip bags and candy wrappers and various pieces of used underwear lay strewn about.

"Eww!" I shrieked, pointing to one boxer in a late stage of decay.

"Oh, oh, sorry," Nico blushed. "I'll take care of…well, personal items."

"Thank god," I sighed, and started picking up wrappers.

"Wait. Need some help?" Nico asked, and raised Ephialtes. The ground trembled and four skeletal hands popped out. The owners of those hands emerged quickly.

"Clean up this cabin," Nico intoned. "Do not hurt me or the girl." Then he collapsed on his bunk. Meanwhile, the undead quickly got to work.

"Nico, hey. Are you all right?"

"Yeah…fine. But…summoning just…makes me…a bit…tired." He yawned. "Well, anyway, four is enough. I'll just watch."

The undead workers finished the cabin in less than nine minutes. By that time, Nico was awake enough to tell them their work was done and they were dismissed. "Dismissed" meant collapsing into a pile of bones.

"Thanks, guys," I said as Nico stuffed the bones into a garbage bag. He had to bring the trash to the magical Dumpster himself because people would get freaked out

if there were skeletons walking across the grounds.

He tied the bags and ran out the door. Seconds later, Percy and Annabeth walked in—or tried to walk in, because the skeletons had crossed their swords before the cabin door.

"They're okay," I said, waving the guards off. They cautiously stepped in inside.

"It's actually not bad," Annabeth remarked, twirling slowly and taking in the cabin.

"It's too not bad—too good for Nico. I knew he had help." Percy said suspiciously.

"I helped him," I said.

"Oh, that reminds me. Mia, nice of you to help him, but you really should've been helping the Hermes cabin, aka Cabin Eleven." Annabeth told me.

"Why?"

"Hermes is the patron god of travelers and strangers," Annabeth explained. "Since you haven't been claimed, you'll stay in Hermes as long as you need. And Hermes does need the extra help."

"But when do I get claimed?"

"I don't know, but usually soon after you arrive at cam—" she broke off suddenly, staring at something above my head.

"Or now," Percy quipped in awe.


	7. Ch 7: Apollo Goes ByeBye

Chapter Seven: Apollo Goes Bye-bye

I quickly glanced above my head. A spinning blue hologram of a silver trident hung in the space above my head. Annabeth was the first to speak.

"Percy, you have a sister!" she shouted. I glanced at Percy. This was kind of

getting awkward.

"Wow. I have a sister." Percy mumbled. "Well, good ol' Dad hinted at some over the summer but I didn't know if it was a joke or not."

I scooted over and gave him a hug. I didn't know what else to do. It seemed better than just standing there.

"Let's tell Chiron," Annabeth said. "He should know."

Just then, Nico came puffing in. He saw our faces and gasped out, "Hey, did I miss anything?"

We burst out laughing. "You explain," I said to Percy.

As we walked over to the Big House, I thought about Percy. I was excited about having a brother—and such a cool one at that. Since he had a new baby sister Percy thought it necessary to relive all the glorious moments of his life to me—aka, brag about how awesome he was. He told me all about rescuing Zeus' master bolt, defeating Ares in a swordfight, fighting Polyphemus, bearing the weight of the sky, visiting Calypso's island (Annabeth kind of snarled when he said that) saving the world, blah, blah, blah.

We reached the wraparound porch just as Chiron came bursting out the front door, in full horse mode. He looked stricken.

Percy didn't seem to notice. "Chiron, Mia's my sister!"

"That's wonderful." Chiron said.

Annabeth noticed Chiron's expression. "Chiron—"

"I am sorry to dampen your excitement," Chiron told us, "but I have just received news from Olympus. Apollo is missing."

I paced outside the Big House, on the immaculate white porch. Chiron had called a counselors' meeting to discuss the problem, and Percy, Nico, and Annabeth were all there.

_I should tell Chiron my dream_. I hadn't told him anything.

I was positive that Ares and Hades were talking about capturing Apollo. I was also positive that Hades was the mastermind behind the whole thing. Pretty much the only vital clue I was missing was to where Ares and Hades were hiding him.

I sat down on a white park bench as I ran over the details in my mind.

Hades and Ares meet. Fast-forward. I replayed segments in my mind.

_"What did you use as bait?"_

_Hades' mouth curled into a sneer. "That mortal girl-Dare, the Oracle. Nico has been a huge help."_

_"Your son, the di Angelo boy?"_

"_Yes. Naturally, though, the boy has no memory of his treachery. The Lethe comes in handy. And your mission?"_

Maybe it wad because I didn't want to get Nico in trouble. That was it.

Not.

I mean, of course I wouldn't want Nico to get in trouble. But there was another, deeper reason.

I replayed the Annabeth-Percy-Nico part.

_"Wait. Before we go," Ares interrupted, "tell me—why did you have me ask Aphrodite to tell Eros to shoot Annabeth and Nico di Angelo with arrows?"_

_"Simple. Jackson is dating—what's her name?—Annabeth, and we want poor little Perseus to be preoccupied with his love life, not investigating why he is absent."_

Okay. Their plan was to distract Percy somehow. But why Percy?

"_Jackson seems to be involved with every scheme the half-bloods discover."_

Suddenly, it hit me why I wouldn't go tell Chiron.

Deep down, I felt ashamed.

I felt ashamed of having a superpopular brother who'd done so many deeds and went on many quests. I wanted to prove myself to be as good as Percy.

By rescuing Apollo myself.

I had the only lead, after all. Nico probably assumed my dream had nothing got do with anything and dismissed it as middle schoolgirl's common nightmare. When I rescued Apollo, I'd finally feel like I'd fit in.

But I couldn't do it myself, could I? Of course not.

Percy, Annabeth, or Nico would be awesome companions. But then I'd have to tell them about how Eros would mess things up for them.

This may sound cowardly, but…didn't want to rat the gods out. I'd seen what Alala had done to my mother—and she was just a minor deity. Who could get hurt now that those two major gods, not just minor gods? These were the gods who fought against the mighty Titans and won.

I couldn't decide what to do. My head was spinning.

If I spilled the beans, we'd have a better chance of tracking down Apollo. And some of my family could get seriously injured in the process.

If I didn't, we might not find the sun god.

I'll wait until I hear what Percy finds out in the meeting, I told myself. Maybe someone has had the same dream. Maybe they can save Apollo without me.

The Big House's door opened and counselors filed out. I looked up as Percy flopped down beside me.

"So," I said, "what happened?"

"Bad news," Percy answered. "Very bad news. Apparently he's been missing for a week to three days. At first, nobody paid any attention. Apollo does what he wants. He could've been gone for nine months and we wouldn't have noticed. But Apollo missed the Olympian family brunch yesterday. Attendance is basically mandatory—unless you want to feel the full force of Hera's wrath. And you don't want that."

"A brunch?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Hera organizes it every year. It's something in her _Keeping Your Eternally Fighting Family Together: Olympian Edition_ book. You have to have an excuse like, I'm mortally wounded and I'll die if I come. From what Chiron's gathered, it seems like the whole Olympian family hates it. Even Dionysus would rather stay here than go. And that's saying a lot."

"So maybe Apollo skipped it on purpose," I suggested hopefully.

"He would be insane. Not that I'm saying Apollo's not insane. You should hear the haikus he makes."

"So if he didn't purposely skip it, what happened?"

"I don't know. Most likely he's been godnapped or tricked into being godnapped. Either one is possible. We've got no leads as to where he is. We're basically blind."

Basically blind. They had no idea where Apollo was. I was their only lead—if I decided to be.

Wait, I told myself. Give it a few more days and think. A few more days couldn't possibly be the death of the entire world. Could it?

"Well," Percy sighed, "you should get the grand Camp Half-Blood tour."


	8. Ch 8: I Meet My Brother's Nemesis

Chapter Eight: I Meet My Brother's Nemesis

Although I had already had a sort-of tour with Chiron, I went with Percy because I wanted to spend some time with my newly found half-brother.

We followed Euras Creek from the Big House, passed the volleyball courts and arts-and-crafts building, where an Aphrodite camper was having a marble bust made of herself. After crossing the lake we visited the amphitheater and climbing wall (which for some reason shook and had lava pouring down it). Then we crossed the creek and went by the roofless marble mess hall, swordfighting arena, armory, stables (were Percy introduced me to Blackjack, a pure-black pegasus), and strawberry fields. All around, campers greeted Percy with chest bumps, high-fives, and referred to me as, "Percy's little sister".

I didn't want to be "Percy's little sister". I wanted to be known.

As we turned back for the cabins, a mean-looking girl approached us from the stables. She was tall, buff and strong and looked about eighteen. Her ruddy complexion and stringy brown hair, tucked up loosely in a puke-yellow bandana, said _My life is too busy for something as tedious as hair. Or looking decent, for that matter_. She wore an orange camp shirt like Percy and a camouflage jacket, except it smelled like sweat and horse manure. When she saw us her mouth split into a sneer and she looked down at me distastefully. I stared back as angelically as I could. Percy interrupted.

"Clarisse," he muttered. "This is my, ah, sister Mia Walters. Mia, this is Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

Clarisse merely sneered and said, "Two Poseidons? I don't think the little one's had" –she grinned meanly at me—"_orientation _yet."

Percy sighed. "Back off, Clarisse. Remember the last time you gave a child of the Sea God orientation?"

To my surprise, Clarisse's eyes widened. She scowled and pushed past us, muttering, "Watch it, punk," and stalking away.

"Why does Clarisse hate you so much? And what does she mean by orientation?" I asked.

"Well," Percy began, "I sort of super-embarrassed Ares a couple years ago and now all of his children officially hate me. And orientation,"—a grin entered Percy's features— "means that Clarisse gets to stuff your head down a toilet."

I cringed. "What happened the last time she gave a child of the Sea Go—"

"It's a pretty funny story," Percy interrupted. "We sea-god types have a way with water. We never get wet unless we want to. So when she tried to give me orientation my first day here the fixtures kind of exploded and soaked her and the entire girls' bathroom with poo water."

I couldn't contain my laughter.

We kept walking and passed the armory again. Percy suddenly stopped and I walked into him.

"Oh my gods, Mia!" Percy exclaimed. "Have you chosen a weapon yet?"

"Um, no, not yet," and Percy herded me into camp's armory.

It was hot and smoky. A forge dominated the room, where a muscular camper was issuing orders.

"Jake!" Percy called. The guy looked up and waved and walked over.

"Percy!" he said. "How can I help?"

"I need a sword for my sister here," he explained.

"I heard about her," he smiled. "News travels fast here. Well, in the other room is where we keep our weapons. Call if you need help." He pointed toward a metal door.

"I will. Thanks, Jake." Percy opened the door and ushered me inside.

It was amazing. Swords and daggers and knives hung on racks, walls bore shields of every size and shape, and spears, axes, javelins, bows and arrows, machetes, and other weapons I couldn't name were stacked on shelves.

"Choose a weapon that feels right in your hand. I prefer swords, personally." Percy advised, and walked over to examine some shields. I walked over to the swords, and went through the selection, choosing the prettier ones. Most were too heavy.

I looked through the rack, thinking that finding the right sword was seemingly hopeless, when my eye fell on a sword. It was tucked way at the back, behind all the others. I reached back and pulled it out, trying not to get my arm sliced in the process. I held it carefully with both hands.

It had a mostly gold hilt, decorated with a band of silver set with a topaz stone near the crossguard. More topazes encrusted the handle, and the hilt was wrapped in pale silver leather that shimmered. The blade gleamed gold.

I took it in my right hand and assumed a defensive stance, holding the blade at an angle. It felt cool and light in my hand. I sliced it through the air a few times, testing its balance. It was the perfect weight. I was about to tell Percy, when I noticed something.

There was a gap between the band and the hilt. That meant I could twist the silver band. I did, and the sword elongated into a narrow, pointed gold rod. Startled, I dropped it.

Percy glanced up at the clatter and walked over. I'd gotten over my shock and picked up the weapon. It had morphed into a beautiful, pale-gold spear with that same band of silver and topaz in the center.

"What's that?" he asked, noticing the sword—_spear _now, lying on the ground.

"I-I don't know," I told him. "It was a sword, and now it's…not."

He didn't look so surprised. "What did you do?"

I told him, and he picked up the spear and examined it closely. Then he twisted the silver band.

It shrank down to roughly the size and shape of an unsharpened pencil. It was made of gold, with a silver band set with a topaz in the center. Strangely, when I looked at it, it flickered a bit; first a yellow marker, then a golden rod. I peered closer. There was spidery lettering on both halves, separated by the silver band.

"_Telum _and_ ensis,_" Percy read.

"Spear and sword," I translated, and stopped. "Whoa. How'd I know that?"

"You're a demigod," he answered absentmindedly, still studying the weapon. "This has a long history. I forgot who, but this belonged to some big hero…very famous...I'll ask Jake."

When Jake saw it, he gasped. "I didn't even know we had this."

"Had what?" I asked.

"You know," he said, "Aerumnabilis. The Spear of Achilles."

We walked back to our cabin, Aerumnabilis clutched firmly in my hand. I couldn't believe it. "This really belonged to Achilles?" I asked incredulously. "_The_ Achilles?"

"Yup," Percy said. "Aerumnabilis. — "

"—misery." I translated, and repeated, "Misery. Why?"

"It's taken the lives of many in the Trojan War…you do know about the Trojan War, right?"

"Yes—but—it didn't happen exactly the way Homer says—"

"Of course it did," Percy said. "It's amazing, really, how the Mist can manipulate the most obvious things. Everything—Homer was a demigod too, you know, and everything he wrote actually happened."

"What's the Mist?"

"It's a magic veil…" and he explained all about the Mist and how, in a way, screened the demigod world from mortals.

"—and only special mortals can see through it—one of my friends is a clear-eyed mortal, and she's also the Oracle—" Percy was explaining.

_The Oracle. _Where had I heard that before?

Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Dare?"


	9. Ch 9: Another Kind of Capture the Flag

Chapter Nine: Another Kind of Capture the Flag

Percy stared at me, completely bewildered. "_Now _how did you know that?"

"I—I, well," I couldn't find a way to explain it. I had to tell him the truth. "Actually, well, I had this—"

Before he could find out what I had, a long, deep sound echoed. Campers began streaming toward the mess hall. As we followed the mass for dinner, I hoped he'd forget about what I'd said when Annabeth came. Luckily, he did.

I wanted to sit with Annabeth or Nico, and I could tell Percy did too. But he explained how we were supposed to sit with our own cabins.

I looked around the room. The campers in the cabins were almost equally divided, except for the Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon tables. Only Nico sat alone at the Hades table, and the Zeus table was empty. Percy and I were the only ones at the Poseidon table.

Tree nymphs carried around heaping trays of pizza, brisket, and other delicious dinner dishes. I piled my plate full. So did Percy. I was halfway through my plate when I noticed Percy's full goblet, and my empty one. I looked around. Everyone had full goblets.

"What's that?" I asked Percy, pointing at his drink.

"Blue Cherry Coke." He answered thickly, past a mouthful of food.

"How'd you get it?"

"I asked for it." I waited until he was finished chewing and he said, "You have to _ask _your cup what you want."

"Oh." I stared over the rim and said, "Vanilla Coke."

The cup instantly filled, like an invisible person was pouring it. I whipped around, but there was no one in sight.

After dinner, the campers drifted off in the direction of the amphitheater. I caught up to Nico and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To the amphitheater to sing camp songs." He answered. "With s'mores and everything."

We sang songs like, "This Land Is Minos' Land" and "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Nectar on the Wall". The fire blazed high and green and I roasted tons of marshmallows. Listening to the pitchy voices singing, "The Wheels on the Chariot Go Round and Round", I felt like I finally fit in.

The campers walked to the cabins slowly. I walked sluggishly, because I was full of s'mores. I knew I wouldn't get to sleep for a while, so I decided to unpack.

When I finally _did _fall asleep, I wished I hadn't. I had the same dream I'd had before Camp Half-Blood—the Underworld dream, and it was worse seeing it again. I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

My next few days at camp were the same. Swordplay with Percy and archery with Chiron in the mornings. After lunch I'd practice pegasus riding, climbing and canoeing or something, or maybe pick strawberries and clean the stables. Before dinner, free time, and then we'd eat and sing in the amphitheater. I began to get into a schedule.

On a Wednesday night (nine days after I'd arrived) Chiron announced a capture the flag game on the Friday after. This got a lot of cheers.

Friday came all too fast. The mess hall was silent as we hurriedly ate our dinner and lined up in front of the head table.

"Campers," thundered Chiron, "you know the rules. No intentional maiming, killing, poisonous gassing of any kind, and absolutely no underground burying! I shall serve as referee…"

"Underground burying?" I murmured to Percy.

"Yeah. Ares teamed up with Demeter and dug huge pits. Then they trapped the blue team. I was coughing up worms for days."

I gagged.

"Blue team, Athena, takes the east woods. Red team, Ares, takes the west woods. Arm yourselves!" He spread his hands, and what looked like half the armory shimmered onto the dining tables. "All magic items accepted—"

I fingered Aerumnabilis in my pocket.

"—and you have ten minutes!"

"Blue team, here!" came Annabeth's voice from across the pavilion. I glanced at Percy, and he nodded. "We've made an alliance to Athena tonight."

I grinned. "Have you ever not sided with Athena?" I questioned as we jogged over.

"Maybe not," Percy answered sheepishly, and I smiled.

We joined the group surrounding Annabeth. "Roll call!" she said.

It turned out that Athena had traded shower times, activities, and a few objects to gain allies. The blue team was then made up of the campers from Poseidon, Demeter, Apollo and Hermes, and Hades (Nico's and my cabin had done it for free).

"Here's the battle plan," Annabeth said softly. "Demeter and Hermes campers guard the flag. Poseidon, Hades, and Apollo retrieve. All clear? Good. Ready on my mark."

We lined up, tense, before the dark woods. Chiron blew the horn as a signal, and before it dropped from his lips, the entire pavilion was empty and the woods were also dark.

The woods were filled with the fray of battle. I had followed Clarisse unnoticed and slashed aside a Hephaestus camper, intent on the red horsehair plume bobbing out of sight.

I followed her and her siblings toward a small clearing at the edge of the woods. Peering out from behind a well-concealed tree, I saw the outline of the stables beyond. Looking up, I noticed that no trees blocked the sky. An idea began to form in my mind.

I crept past the Ares campers, and once free of the woods, began to run. The stable door had been left unlocked and it was deserted—everyone was playing capture the flag.

Shrinking Aerumnabilis as not to frighten the horses, I walked past the stalls until I reached one at the very end. The nameplate read BLACKJACK, Pegasus.

He'd been sleeping, but pricked up his ears and walked over as I approached.

_The boss' sister! Did you bring me an apple? _He asked hopefully.

"No, but I will if you help me," I replied, and outlined my plan.

Blackjack agreed immediately. _Clarisse is mean, _he whined. _She never gives me enough decent hay and calls me stupid dirty fly-horse._

"That's interesting," I told him as I went outside and mounted him. I took out Aerumnabilis and held on to his mane. Blackjack raced toward the woods at a gallop and with two powerful strokes, we were airborne.

He circled, low enough for me to observe Clarisse, but high enough so he couldn't be seen—his dark coat helped. I waited until we were almost above the flag before twisting Aerumnabilis into a spear and telepathically shouting, _Now!_

Blackjack tucked in his wings and dived. I angled the spear at an Ares camper as we rushed headlong into the ground. Then black wings opened and caught us, knocking a camper back with the wind.

He hurtled toward the flag. I swung my spear at any interfering person and then—I grabbed the flag's pole as Blackjack whipped around it in a tight upward spiral. He stroked downward again and the flag came off in my hand as we soared up into the sky.

Arrows, not unexpected, pelted after us. Blackjack was such a good flier, though, that when he deftly tried to avoid them we didn't get hit. I deflected some with Aerumnabilis (in sword form now) as we flew toward Athena's side of the creek.

He spread his ebony wings lightly to touch down on the other side. As soon as his hooves hit the dirt, the flag in my hand shimmered—the design changed from a bloody boar's head and spear to a blue-green trident.

Blue team cheered loudly. I stepped off Blackjack and was swept up on the shoulders of campers, celebrating their victory.

Suddenly, Clarisse burst from the trees, shouting curses and all sorts of Greek words that blended in with each other that I didn't understand. Her face was bright red and her speech was all jumbled up.

"You—you—" she fumbled, and I felt a twinge of pity for her. How embarrassing must it be, to get beaten by a twelve-year-old newbie?

"Clarisse," I said, and got down. I handed the flag to her. "A small consolation prize."  
>She stared at it, stupefied, as I splashed across the creek back to my team.<p>

That night when I went to bed, I wished immediately I hadn't.

All sorts of bad dreams disturbed me. First, Clarisse chased me all around camp, promising to turn me into a pig. Then I tried to fight her off with Aerumnabilis, only to find that it had turned into a rubber chicken.

Clarisse dissolved as I entered my next dream. I was sitting in the backseat of a Maserati Spyder. When I looked out the window, though, I saw clouds and snow. There was a guy driving, a horribly familiar guy wearing a leather jacket and wraparound shades.

Ares. The car swerved dangerously close to snowcapped mountaintop, whose snow melted quickly and caught fire. I had a feeling I knew what this car was, although I'd never been in it. Apollo's chariot.

The car jerked up and down as we traveled to a small mountain village. Villagers dressed in heavy furs screamed and dived into their houses, whose thatched roofs were catching fire. Ares laughed as they cowered helplessly, but seemed to notice the danger too late. "Whoa…hey..."

He pulled up hard, but it didn't work. Stamping on the brake, he found that that didn't either. I put my head between my legs in crash position…waiting…

Before we slammed into a hut, my dream ended and I woke up sweating. I tried to sleep again, but that didn't work, so I pulled on some clothes and stepped into my flip-flops. Rummaging in my bag, I found a bag of Reese's Pieces and took that. Checking to make sure that Percy was still asleep, I sneaked out.

I headed straight for the beach. Flopping down on the sand, I had hardly opened my candy when another person appeared in the beach.

"Who's there?" I called. "Show yourself!"

And Nico came into view, sheepishly shuffling over the sand with a pair of unlaced Reeboks. A pack of Vanilla Cokes dangled from his hand.

"Oh!" I said. "I thought it was…you know…"

"Yeah," he agreed, and spotting my bag of candy, he held out the Cokes and said, "Picnic?"

"Um…okay…" and I scooted over.

"Thanks, Mia," he said, and handed me a Coke. I popped it open and Nico opened one for himself while taking a handful of my Pieces.

We snacked in silence for a few minutes. I'd never remembered it being this awkward. He was my best friend, after all.

"So," he finally asked, "why are you here?"

"Couldn't sleep," I replied, and he nodded.

"Neither could I," he explained. "I had a dream about Bianca…"

"Bianca?"

"My sister."

"Oh." I ate a few more Pieces. "How'd she…"

I stopped, worried that I'd asked the wrong question, but he answered (after a while).

"From what Percy told me—"

"Percy?"

"Yeah. Bianca was picked to go on a quest to save Artemis and Annabeth with some Hunters three summers ago. Percy followed, but not before I told him to take care of her." He swallowed. "They encountered this huge metal giant. Bianca disabled it from the inside but when it collapsed they couldn't find her."

"I'm…I'm sorry, Nic."

"It's okay. Being the son of Hades I can talk to her sometimes. I don't do it so much anymore. Letting go."

I leaned my head against Nico (totally friend-ish!) and we stayed like that, sometimes drifting off, until the sun peeked above the horizon.


	10. Ch 10: The Immaturest Baby of Them All

Chapter Ten: The Immaturest Baby of Them All

I woke up, bathed in pink early morning light, and shook Nico awake too. We returned to our cabins. The camp was still slumbering.

As I stepped into the Poseidon cabin, Percy leaned up on arm sleepily. "Mia?" he yawned.

"Nothing. Just an early morning walk. Go back to sleep."

"Nah. I'm already awake, aren't I?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Okay." I grabbed some fresh clothes and a towel from the pile by the door and headed for the showers.

By the time I got out, toweling off my hair, camp was in full swing. I went to the cabin and retrieved Aerumnabilis.

I headed over to the arena—I had a swordfighting lesson with Percy. When I got there, he was warming up by slashing at dummies. He looked up when I entered.

"Okay, Mia. Let's warm up and we'll spar for the rest of the session. 'kay?"

"Sure." I agreed. Like I could ever disagree.

After demolishing half-dozen dummies apiece, we faced off.

We matched each other blow for blow. Percy swung, but I dropped to the smooth polished arena floor and slid like a baseball player, aiming for Percy's legs. He avoided it just in time and I got up.

The clang of blows filled the arena. I barely deflected one of Percy's strikes when I noticed a blond-haired person standing at the sidelines.

"Annabeth!" I called, ducking Percy's swing and waving. He stopped, mid-slash, as I pointed to her. He capped Riptide and walked over, yelling, "Water break!"

I grinned as I poured water on my head and shrank Aerumnabilis. He wouldn't come back, not when he was with Annabeth.

I took a shower and changed clothes. Then I went to my other morning classes.

At lunch, I ate alone. Percy was nowhere to be found.

After eating, I went to pegasus-riding class. I took Blackjack all over camp, even flying a little way into the forest. But I couldn't find him.

By dinner, I became worried. I'd seen Annabeth, but not Percy. What happened?

I skipped the sing-along and sat by the beach. Predictably, Nico joined me. I hadn't seen him all day.

"Have you seen Percy?" I asked.

"No…why?"

"Nothing, I just haven't seen him since my morning swordfighting class."

"Hmmm…I wonder where he might be…"

As he spoke, I noticed something hazy and strangely holographic above our heads. As I fixed my eyes properly on it, I noticed it was actually a flying baby bearing a bow and arrow.

He winked and gestured at Nico. Then he yawned and spoke, hovering closer. "Good," said the baby, which had an oddly adult-ish voice. "Now he can't hear."

"Eros," I guessed.

"Smart girl!" smiled the baby. "I've just shot your charming friend, who's also smart."

"Annabeth!" I realized suddenly. The plan was already in motion.

He cocked his head sweetly, and gestured at me. I suddenly found I couldn't move, just talk.

"Wait! Eros! Why are you doing this?"

"Have to. Mommy said so. Good kiddies always do what their mommy says," he said, doing a loop-de-loop and smiling tremendously. He aimed a golden arrow at Nico and released it. It hit him squarely in the back. I tried to move toward him, but my muscles were still frozen. Then he notched an arrow and pointed it at me.

"Whoa," I said, trying to scoot back. "Mommy didn't tell you to do this."

"Right. She didn't." He laughed mischievously. "But it would be so chaotic. Boy loves girl, who is loved by another boy, but the first boy loves that girl too, but then another girl loves the first boy too but she's not loved by anyone. Chaos is so interesting."

"Stop speaking in…Wait." I'd immediately grasped the implications. "I do not love him. Stop being such an immature baby!"

"I'm not an immature baby," he said angelically. I snorted. "I'm _the_ immature baby, the immaturest one of them all."

With that, he loosed the arrow. I finally found I could move, but he winked and disappeared. Then everything faded to black.


	11. Ch 11: Rachel Dare

**Omigosh, sorry about how long it took to update. I had a new story going on, kind of reached a block at this one, and gave up. I kept rewriting this chapter, and...here it is. Read and comment!**

**-MuseGoddess**

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><p>Chapter Eleven: Rachel Dare<p>

In my dream, I was in an impossibly large cavern, carpeted with gravel. Walls adorned with green-fire torches stretched up to a ceiling so high, I couldn't see it. In front of me yawned a huge pit, four times as wide as my house. I felt a brand of fear I only experienced in one place: the Underworld.

Hanging above the pit was a man. He had a handsome, tanned, face; sandy-blond hair; and wore a dirty white tank top, khaki shorts, and one tattered dark loafer. His eyes were closed and his head lolled to one side. Two chains led up to the ceiling and held him in place.

I started forward, and felt something beneath my foot. I picked it up, and in the dim light glowing from the pit I could make out an iPod, not unlike my own. It was bright gold. Farther along was a handsome bow and quiver, gleaming the same shade as the iPod.

Judging from the items, I could guess who the god was, even though I hadn't met any of them.

"Apollo," I whispered, and the god's eyes fluttered open. His irises were a deep, clear blue, like the sky surrounding the sun.

The god looked around, but he didn't notice me.

Apollo took a deep breath. The firelight flickered and faded

The god exhaled, and glowed with the radiance of a supernova. I shut my eyes tight; turned away and clapped my palms over my corneas, but light seeped in, and I couldn't see, just bright white light everywhere…

Then something knocked me flat. Wind roared in my ears and I tumbled forward. I still couldn't see, but I knew I was being drawn closer and closer to the pit. I dug in my heels and scrabbled with my hands; Apollo grew brighter; the wind strengthened…the god's glow faded a little; the wind pushed harder; I felt my sneakers dangling over open air as Apollo blinked out. The wind disappeared as quickly as it had come.

I blinked away the afterimage and pulled myself up. Apollo was swaying helplessly again, dangling over the pit. I backed away quickly.

Then my dream changed. I was standing in the center of a huge field of what I assumed to be corn, except that the entire crop was wilted; brown and rotting. In the blink of an eye, I was soaring above the field. In every direction, identical fields stretched beyond my sight. I somehow knew I was looking at a world without sunlight.

Gravity took over, and I fell, down toward the dead fields of corn.

I blinked open my eyes, nails digging into the sand. I was on camp's beach. The sun was three fingers above the horizon. A fresh gust of sea breeze swirled sand. I relaxed.

Suddenly, I remembered what Eros had said. _Think__of__it__as__something__to__put__you__out,__maybe__for__a__couple__years__or__so._How long had I been asleep?

I fumbled my phone out of my pocket and checked the date. It was the same day, thank the gods. I glanced at the time. Only an hour had passed. Eros had been lying, then.

I brushed sand off my clothes and hurried up the beach. Campers still had their pre-dinner lessons before free period, and then we ate.

As I approached my cabin, I saw something leaking out the door. I entered the cabin, which was ankle deep in saltwater. A sobbing sound reached me from the back.

I made my way toward Percy's bunk. A few torn pieces of photos floated by. I saw half a Yankees cap, a flash of blond hair, gray eyes.

"Why?" the moaning voice sounded. "Why?"

I sloshed over and stood before Percy. His face was buried in his hands and a huge pile of Kleenex towered about as tall as his head. I sighed, and returned the water to the saltwater fountain. I swept the Kleenexes off the bed and sat. "What's wrong?" I asked, although I already knew.

"Annabeth…" he choked out, then burst into fresh tears. The fountain slopped out water.

I handed him a handkerchief and he took it, while I debated on what to do. I hated seeing him like this. I had to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he was being manipulated, but that meant revealing how much I've been hiding.

Percy flopped over and the fountain ejected more water and a starfish. I made my decision.

"Percy," I began, "it isn't your fault."

"Curse ifis," he mumbled through his pillow.

"No it isn't. Percy, listen…" and I told him everything.

He sat up and gaped, openmouthed. "You mean…Eros…Hades and Ares…_they_godnapped Apollo?"

"Yeah, except for Eros. He was kind of ordered by his mother. Listen, they only did this because past experience shows that you might have been able to rescue him and foil their plan. This was all a setup. They couldn't take any chances."

"They are going to pay." Percy muttered, and I grinned. I had the old Percy back.

"We've got to go rescue Apollo," I continued, and hit an unforeseen snag.

"Of course not," Percy said flatly. "You can't go. I'll tell Chiron, and he can assemble a team, alert the gods—"

"No!" I cried. "You can't. The reason I didn't tell you sooner is because so the gods don't know. I only told you because it's unfair for you to believe that you caused Annabeth to suddenly end it—"

"—of course it's unfair—"

"—and I wanted to rescue Apollo. None of my family can get hurt again! Ares will know, he'll know I told, and another member of my family will get injured again!"

I glared fiercely at Percy, silently daring him to contradict.

"Fine. But you can't go. I'll secretly tell Grover, or someone—"

"Why can't I go?" I demanded. "You got your first quest at twelve."

He opened his mouth, but I knew I'd won. "Okay. But you've got to ask Rachel first."

"Rachel?"

"Rachel Dare. My mortal friend, the Oracle."

The next morning, I had sword practice with Percy as usual.

We warmed up, then Percy taught me a few moves. Then we sparred.

Crossing swords furiously in a flurry of blows, the match started. I knew Percy was going easy on me, but when I nearly slashed open his arm, my brother's sea green eyes narrowed and he pressed me harder.

I found it harder to match his blows, but somehow I did. Percy lunged and his blade nicked the edge of my camp shirt as I sidestepped. Quickly dropping to the marble arena floor, I knocked his legs out from under him and jabbed at his chest, but he brought his sword up hard, deflected my blade, flicked Riptide, flipping Aerumnabilis out of my hand. I retrieved it as he got up.

Sweat poured down my face. My grip on the enchanted blade grew sweaty. I backed up as Percy swung his blade in a large circle. I looked around, whirling my sword. The water fountain! Yes! I felt a tug in my gut—Percy had been teaching me how to master my water powers as well—and the fountain exploded water, effectively blinding Percy. The mouthpiece blew off.

Percy and I continued fighting, using the water to try and outmaneuver each other. I stepped backward to avoid his blade, and put my foot unknowingly on the mouthpiece of the fountain. My sneaker slipped. Percy took the chance and knocked me off my feet with a well-aimed jet of water, locked his blade in my hilt, and twisted hard. I tried to keep my grip, but my wrist ached like crazy so I let go. Aerumnabilis slid to a spot several yards away as I landed on my perfectly dry butt on the slippery floor.

"You win," I acknowledged, as clapping reached me from the stands.

Both Percy and I whirled. A girl with red hair got down carefully from her seat in the front row.

Percy's eyes lit in recognition and delight. As he walked over, I noticed the water arc into the air in a shimmering curtain, landing on the plants. I retrieved Aerumnabilis, shrank it, and came to stand by Percy, studying her closely.

The girl's auburn hair curled around her shoulders. When she smiled and turned to me, the grin reached her vivid green eyes. The splattering of freckles on her cheeks looked orange in the morning light. She wore a white polo shirt with the words _Clarion__Ladies__Academy_stitched in small, fancy lettering and paint-splattered jeans. A red tie dangled from her left hand.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Rachel, Rachel Dare, the Oracle. You must be Mia. Percy's told me all about you. You're his sister, right? Of course. Same sea-green eyes. Cool sword. You're about twelve or thirteen, right? I met Percy at fourteen. He tried to kill me while I was blowing my nose once. I could see through the Mist, but I'm still mortal, so he couldn't wound me. Lucky for me, right?"

Rachel said this all very fast and in one breath.

"Yeah," I said, only understanding about half. She sounded like a machine gun. "Lucky. Uh Rachel, could I ask you something?"

"Sure."

I cut my eyes at Percy, hoping he'd take the hint. He immediately nodded and turned. "I'll tell Chiron you're here," he told Rachel, walking out.

I turned to Rachel. "About my question. It's actually for the Oracle."

"Oh," she replied. "I can't guarantee you'll get an answer. The spirit of Delphi only speaks through me when it chooses to. Usually you have to ask the question."

"Okay. What must—"

"Not here," she cautioned. "I apparently glow all green and creepy. Maybe…there?" She pointed to the gates leading out into the forest.

"You freak people out. Okay." I said, and opened the gate.

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><p><strong>So? How was it? Comment, and meanwhile, here is a Chapter Twelve sneak peek.<strong>

Chapter Twelve: The Prophecy is Spoken

I sat, cross-legged across from Rachel. We hadn't gone very far—I could make out the sounds of swords clashing in the arena. Rachel closed her eyes, and opened them again slowly.

"Just ask a question," she explained. "The Oracle might answer."

No sooner had she said this than her eyes glazed over. A raspy voice issued from her—although she hadn't opened her mouth—and the hissing snakelike sound reverberated around in my head.

_I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask._

**Dun-dun-dun! Could I have prophecy ideas? I'm having a hard time finding a threatening word rhyming with _face_. Please help! **

**-MuseGoddess**


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